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IB Biology > 4.3 Carbon cycle > Flashcards

4.3 Carbon cycle Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the carbon cycle?

A

A biogeochemical cycle where carbon is exchanged between the different spheres of the earth

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2
Q

How many spheres of earth are there?

A

Four

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3
Q

What are the four spheres of the earth?

A

Atmosphere
Lithosphere
Hydrosphere
Biosphere

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4
Q

What are the four ways carbon is exchanged?

A

Atmospheric gases
Oceanic carbonates
Organic materials
Non-living remains

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5
Q

How is carbon exchanged as atmospheric gases?

A

Mainly as carbon dioxide and methane

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6
Q

How is carbon exchanged as oceanic carbonate?

A

Bicarbonates dissolved in the water and calcium carbonate in coral and shells

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7
Q

How is carbon exchanged as organic materials?

A

Carbohydrates
Lipids and proteins found in all living things

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8
Q

How is carbon exchanged as non-living remains?

A

Detritus and fossil fuels

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9
Q

What facilitates the cycling of carbon between the different forma?

A

Different processes

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10
Q

How do autotrophs convert inorganic carbon dioxide into organic compounds?

A

Via photosynthesis

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11
Q

What do organic compounds include?

A

Carbohydrates, lipids and proteins required by the organism for survival

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12
Q

Why should levels of carbon dioxide within the organism should always be low?

A

Since autotrophs use carbon dioxide for photosynthesis

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13
Q

Where should carbon dioxide concentrations be higher?

A

In the atmosphere or water

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14
Q

What does the concentration gradient between the autotrophic organism and the outside ensure?

A

That carbon dioxide will passively diffuse into the autotrophic organism as required

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15
Q

In terrestrial plants where does diffusion occur?

A

At stomata

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16
Q

In aquatic producers, where does carbon dioxide diffuse?

A

Directly into the autotroph

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17
Q

What can heterotrophs not synthesise?

A

Their own organic molecules

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18
Q

How do heterotrophs obtain carbon compounds?

A

Feeding

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19
Q

What do all organisms produce to power metabolic processes?

A

Chemical energy (ATP)

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20
Q

How do organisms produce ATP?

A

Cell respiration

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21
Q

What does cell respiration involve?

A

The breakdown of organic molecules and produces carbon dioxide as a by product

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22
Q

What does the build up of CO2 in respiring tissue create and what does that allow?

A

A concentration gradient allowing it to be removed by passive diffusion

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23
Q

In autotrophs, what does may balance the uptake of CO2 by photosynthesis?

A

The production of CO2 by respiration

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24
Q

What is the compensation point?

A

Where the net carbon dioxide assimilation is zero

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25
Q

What is the amount of carbon dioxide in the environment determined by?

A

Cell respiration and photosynthesis

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26
Q

What happens if there is more net photosynthesis than cell respiration in the biosphere?

A

Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels should drop

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27
Q

What happens is there is more net cell respiration than overall photosynthesis?

A

Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels should increase

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28
Q

What does carbon dioxide dissolve in water turn into?

A

Carbonic acid

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29
Q

What happens when carbonic acid dissociatess?

A

Hydrogen carbonate ions are formed

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30
Q

Why does pH change when CO2 is dissolved in water?

A

the conversion of carbonic acid to hydrogen carbonate ions releases hydrogen ion

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31
Q

What do autotrophs absorb to produce organic compounds?

A

Carbon dioxide and hydrogen carbonate

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32
Q
A
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33
Q

What happens when hydrogen carbonate ions come into contact with the rocks and sediment on the ocean floor?

A

They acquire metal ions

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34
Q

What happens when hydrogen carbonate ions acquire metal ions?

A

The formation of calcium carbonate and the subsequent development of limestone

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35
Q

What may living animals do to form calcium carbonate?

A

Combine hydrogen carbonate ions with calcium

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36
Q

What does the calcium carbonate form?

A

The exoskeleton of coral and the main component of mollusca shells

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37
Q

What happens when the organism dies and settles to the sea floor?

A

The hard components become fossilised in the limestone

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38
Q

What are the five steps of the calcium carbonate formation in oceans?

A

Atmospheric/ aqueous CO2
Carbonic acid
Bicarbonate
Carbonate
Calcium carbonate

39
Q

What are methanogens?

A

Archaean microorganisms that produce methane as a metabolic by product in anaerobic conditions

40
Q

What are the three anaerobic conditions where methanogens can be found?

A

Wetlands
Marine sediments
Digestive tract of ruminant animals

41
Q

How do methanogens produce methane?

A

The by product of anaerobic digestion principally acetic acid and carbon dioxide

42
Q

Where does methane accumulate?

A

Under the ground or diffuse into the atmosphere

43
Q

What happens when organic method is buried in anoxic conditions?

A

Deposits of methane may form underground

44
Q

What is leading to an increase in the levels of methane being released into the atmosphere?

A

Rising numbers of domesticated cattle

45
Q

How long does methane last when it is released into the atmosphere?

A

12 years

46
Q

Why are methane levels in the atmosphere not very large despite large quantities being produced?

A

Because methane is naturally oxidised to form carbon dioxide and water

47
Q

What will saprotrophic bacteria and fungi do to dead organisms?

A

Decompose them and return nutrients to the soil for cycling

48
Q

Why may some waterlogged regions possess anaerobic conditions?

A

As they may lack oxygenated air spaces within the soil

49
Q

What does the decomposition process require?

A

Oxygen

50
Q

What does anaerobic respiration in anaerobic waterlogged regions produce?

A

Organic acids causing acidic conditions

51
Q

Why is decomposition prevented in anaerobic/acidic conditions?

A

Saprotrophic bacteria and fungi cannot function effectively

52
Q

Where and why does peat form?

A

Since the organic matter in waterlogged soils is not fully decomposed, carbon rich molecules remain in the soil and form peat

53
Q

What happens when deposits of peat are compressed under sediments?

A

Heat and pressure force out impurities and remove moisture

54
Q

What does the peat that has moisture and impurities removed have?

A

High carbon concentrations

55
Q

What does the remaining material with a high carbon concentration undergo?

A

A chemical transformation to produce coal

56
Q

What is oil and natural gas the result of?

A

The decay of marine organisms on the ocean floor

57
Q

What does sediments that are deposited on top of the organic matter create?

A

Anoxic conditions that prevent decomposition

58
Q

In oil/ natural gas formation, what happens as a result of the burial and compaction?

A

The organic material becomes heated and hydrocarbons form

59
Q

What does the hydrocarbons form?

A

Oil and gas

60
Q

Where are oil and gas forced out of?

A

Source rock and accumulates in porous rocks

61
Q

Why are fossil fuels a non renewable energy source?

A

Because their formation takes place over millions of years

62
Q

What happens when organic compounds rich in hydrocarbons are heated in the presence of oxygen?

A

They undergo an exergonic combustion reaction

63
Q

What is released as by products when hydrocarbons are heated in the presence of oxygen?

A

Carbon dioxide and water

64
Q

What are two combustion sources?

A

Fossil fuels and biomass

65
Q

What can organic compounds become rich in when compacted underground for millions of years?

A

Hydrocarbons

66
Q

What results in fossil fuels?

A

Heat and pressure over time triggers a chemical transformation

67
Q

What is an alternative to relying on fuels produced by geological processes?

A

To manufacture fuels from biological processes

68
Q

What do living organisms produce as part of their total biomass?

A

Hydrocarbons

69
Q

What can happen to the hydrocarbons produced as part of a biomass?

A

They can extracted and purified to produce an alternative fuel source

70
Q

How can biomass energy be renewable?

A

If new raw materials are provided and waste products are removed

71
Q

What do carbon fluxes describe?

A

The rate of exchange of carbon between various carbon sinks

72
Q

What are the four main carbon sinks?

A

Lithosphere
Hydrosphere
Atmosphere
Biosphere

73
Q

What are the six processes the rate of carbon exchanged between sinks depends on?

A

Photosynthesis
Respiration
Decomposition
Gaseous dissolution
Lithification
Combustion

74
Q

How does photosynthesis affect the rate of carbon being exchanged between sinks?

A

Removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and fixes it in producers as organic compounds

75
Q

How does respiration affect the rate of carbon being exchanged between sinks?

A

Releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when organic compounds are digested in living organisms

76
Q

How does decomposition affect the rate of carbon being exchanged between sinks?

A

Releases carbon products into the air or sediment when organic matter is recycled after death of an organism

77
Q

How does gaseous dissolution affect the rate of carbon being exchanged between sinks?

A

The exchange of carbon gases between the ocean and atmosphere

78
Q

How does lithification affect the rate of carbon being exchanged between sinks?

A

The compaction of carbon-containing sediments into fossils and rocks within the earths crust

79
Q

How does combustion affect the rate of carbon being exchanged between sinks?

A

Releases carbon gases when organic hydrocarbons are burned as a fuel source

80
Q

Are carbon sinks/fluxes measured or estimated?

A

Estimated

81
Q

How are global carbon fluxes measured?

A

In gigatonnes

82
Q

Why do estimates of carbon fluxes have large uncertainties?

A

As they are large and based on measurements of many different sources

83
Q

What are the three main causes of carbon flux changes?

A

Climate conditions
Natural events
Human activity

84
Q

When will rates of photosynthesis be higher and why?

A

In summer seasons as there is more direct sunlight and longer days

85
Q

What do oceanic temperatures determine about carbon?

A

How much is stored as dissolved CO2 or as hydrogen bicarbonate ions

86
Q

How does El nino and La nina affect carbon fluxes?

A

They change the rate of carbon flux between ocean and atmosphere

87
Q

How does the melting of polar ice caps affect carbon fluxes?

A

It results in the decomposition of frozen detritus

88
Q

How do forest fires affect carbon fluxes?

A

They release high levels of carbon dioxide when plants burn and the loss of trees also reduces photosynthetic carbon uptake

89
Q

How can volcanic eruptions affect carbon fluxes?

A

They release carbon compounds from the earths crust into the atmosphere

90
Q

How does deforestation affect carbon fluxes?

A

It reduces the removal of atmospheric CO2 via photosynthesis

91
Q

How does burning fossil fuels affect carbon fluxes?

A

It releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

92
Q

How does increased numbers of livestock effect carbon fluxes?

A

They produce high levels of methane

93
Q

What four trends of carbon flux are there?

A

Co2 levels fluctuate annually
Co2 levels conform to northern hemisphere patterns
Co2 levels are steadily increasing
Co2 levels are at their highest levels

94
Q

Why do Co2 trends conform to northern hemisphere patterns?

A

As it contains more of the planets land mass

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